Hello! Happy Daylight Savings Time! I hope you are all enjoying the extra evening sunshine that we’ve been having at the expense of somewhat darker and more dreary mornings.

The Camp Quest NorthWest Board of Directors has been hard at work planning and organizing both camp sessions this year. Activity has begun to ramp up with the Oregon session just three months away! The Programming Committee has chosen a theme for this year’s camp and has been busy preparing for the planning retreat. The staffing committee has been conducting interviews, welcoming returning volunteers, and has begun the process of allocating staff to both camps. Four of our dedicated volunteers attended the national Camp Quest Leadership Summit in Dallas last month and brought back lots of ideas and enthusiasm for this year’s sessions. It’s time to start getting excited for camp, you guys!

Planning Retreat

Camp Quest NorthWest staff and volunteers will be gathering at the Oregon 4-H Center next weekend for the 2015 CQNW Planning Retreat. Planned activities begin with dinner at 7:00 PM Friday March 20th, but you are welcome to arrive any time in the afternoon. Planning sessions for both camps will be held all day on Saturday with a board meeting scheduled on Sunday to handle any necessary official business. If you’re interested in attending but haven’t registered yet, there is still time. Register now! We can’t wait to see you there!

Drawing on the Past

The theme for both camp sessions as recommended by the programming committee is “Drawing on the Past.” We expect to expand and develop this theme at the retreat, but the general idea is that key camp activities and programming will focus on art and history. This is a broad topic that could include sketching items found in nature, a study of anthropology, or other science and engineering activities from a historical perspective. We have specific ideas for programming related to this theme to be developed at the retreat but we hope that everyone will bring their exciting and original ideas as well!

Staffing Update

Our at camp volunteer staff looks strong this year but we are in specific need of staff to fill a couple of particular camp positions. We are currently in need of female cabin counselors at the Washington session and a nurse at both the Oregon and Washington sessions. We are still accepting applications for all positions at both camps, but at this time it looks like the Oregon session will be very well staffed and the Washington staff is filling up quickly. If you are a new or returning volunteer interested in attending camp then we encourage you to complete your application as soon as possible! Staffing assignments will be announced within the next couple of weeks and we don’t want anyone to be left out!

Registration Update

Camper registration for the Washington camp session is officially full, with new registrations being added to the waitlist. If you missed your chance to register your camper for the Washington session, we encourage you to consider joining us in Oregon. At this time we also have opened up registration for campers registered for the Washington session who would also like to join us in Oregon. Camperships are available, and we encourage families applying for camp scholarships to register for camp and apply for the campership simultaneously.

Leadership Summit

Volunteers Chuck Wolber, Gordon Schryer, Michael Warbington and Paul Mopps traveled to the Camp Quest Leadership Summit in Dallas, TX in February. They attended a variety of talks, roundtable discussions and networking activities that will serve to inform and improve our camp planning in all sorts of ways. CQNW representatives presented the Natural Selection Game activity at the Annual Programs Fair and won the People’s Choice award for an outstanding program! Congratulations!

Next Board Meetings

The next official board meeting will be held at the planning retreat on Sunday March 22nd. The following meeting will be on Saturday April 11th at the Burien Round Table Pizza at 11:00 AM. All volunteers who are interested in helping to plan for camp are welcome!

The CQNW annual planning retreat will be held March 20-22 at the Oregon 4-H Center in Salem, OR. The event will begin at 5PM Friday and run until 12PM Sunday, with the actual planning activities beginning at 9AM Saturday. The retreat will focus on programming activities and events for both camp sessions. All volunteers who are planning to attend the retreat are asked to complete this brief registration form.

Staff Applications

We are currently accepting applications for at camp volunteer positions. At the time of this writing, there are still open positions at both camps for cabin counselors, programming instructors, and floating staff. If you plan to join us this summer, please complete your application as soon as possible! If you’re undecided or unsure, go ahead and apply now and let us know your situation. Applying early facilitates planning decisions and enables communication among new and returning staff and leadership. Visit registration page and scroll down to the “Staff Applications” section to start the application process.

Camper Registration

Registration for both camp sessions is currently open. As of this writing there is space available for both the CQNW Oregon and CQNW Washington sessions. At this time we’re asking families to register campers for either the Oregon or Washington session. Space permitting, families with campers who would like to attend both sessions will be allowed to register for the second session after March 1st. Visit the registration page for more information and to begin the registration process.

Next Board Meeting

The next CQNW Board Meeting is scheduled for March 11th at 6:30 PM at the Round Table Pizza restaurant in Burien. Camp planning is underway and your input and expertise would be greatly appreciated! We hope to see you there!

The Camp Quest NorthWest Board of Directors met on November 22 to discuss Staff Registration, Darwin Day, and the national Camp Quest Leadership Summit. The board also reviewed and adopted a budget for 2015. If you have any questions about the availability of funds please email treasurer@campquestnorthwest.org. If you have requests or suggestions about materials you’d like to have at camp please email quartermaster@campquestnorthwest.org.

Leadership Summit

The Camp Quest Leadership Summit 2015 will be held in Dallas, TX from Friday February 20th to Sunday the 22nd. For more information you can visit the Leadership Summit information page or go here to register. Hotel space is limited and going fast so if you’re interested in attending you should act fast!

Camp Quest NorthWest will be sponsoring travel costs for select volunteers attending the leadership conference. If you are interested in receiving a scholarship for full or partial assistance with travel costs, email board@campquestnorthwest.org with your plans for attending the retreat and how your attendance would help the organization. Requests should be made prior to the December 20th board meeting. You can also apply for a grant from the national organization. More information is available here.

Darwin Day

Seattle Atheists will be hosting their annual Darwin Day event on Saturday February 14th at the 2100 Building in Seattle. CQNW will be on hand to manage the kid’s room which will give interested parents an opportunity to learn a little bit about camp and will give campers and staff a chance to reunite during the year. Get in touch with Chase for more information or if you’d like to volunteer by sending an email to darwinday@campquestnorthwest.org.

Staff Applications

Staff applications for the two 2015 Camp Quest NorthWest sessions are now open. We will have two camp sessions this summer, one in Oregon from June 21-27 and one in Washington from August 9-15. Register now!

Next Meeting

The next board meeting will be held Saturday, December 20th at 11:00 AM and the Round Table Pizza in Burien. (15730 1st Ave S, Burien, WA) We hope to see you there!

The Camp Quest NorthWest Board of Directors is pleased to announce the election of three new board members. Natalie Koonce, Gordon Schryer and Bridget Lombardo have each been elected to Member At Large positions. They will serve alongside President Chuck Wolber, Vice President Brennon Church, Secretary Jami Blackann, and members at large Lou Amadio, Rebecca Friedman and Mike Warbington.

From left to right: Natalie Koonce, Gordon Schryer and Bridget Lombardo

The CQNW November board meeting will be held on Saturday, November 22nd at 11:00 AM at the Round Table Pizza in Burien. We will have a full agenda, including discussing the camp leadership structure as it applies to operating two camp sessions, planning for CQNW’s participation in the Camp Quest Leadership Summit in Dallas this February, and reports from each of the five CQNW committees.

Thank you for your continued support of Camp Quest NorthWest! If you would like to receive these updates via email, please subscribe to volunteers@campquestnorthwest.org

This newsletter was originally distributed via email on 10/16/2014. There has been a minor correction to that email regarding the dates of the planning retreat. The correct dates are included below. If you would like to receive these updates via email, please subscribe to volunteers@campquestnorthwest.org –Mike

October Meeting Recap

The Camp Quest NorthWest Board of Directors recently held their first of two October meetings this year. With 19 volunteers present it was the most well attended board meeting in CQNW history! The focus of discussion was the 2015 planning calendar and deciding the course of action regarding camp expansion.

Two Summer Camp Sessions

The board voted unanimously to expand camp to two sessions next year after an in depth discussion of the associated benefits and challenges. The first session will be held June 21st through 27th at the Oregon 4-H Center in Salem. The second session will be held August 9th through 15th at Camp Kirby.

Planning Retreat

Mark your calendars now: The date has been set for the 2015 Planning Retreat. It will take place at the Oregon 4-H Center the weekend of March 20th through 22nd, 2015. This will give staff a chance to get to know the layout and facilities of our new camp in order to successfully program activities and events that suit that location.

New Committees Formed

Several new committees were formalized at the October 11th meeting. If you’re interested in joining any of these committees, please contact their respective chairs.

The Registration Committee will be chaired by Kathy Amadio and will handle registration and other camper logistics. Email kathy@campquestnorthwest.org to volunteer.

The Staffing Committee will be chaired by Lou Amadio and will handle staff recruitment, interviewing, training, etc. Email louie@campquestnortwest.org to volunteer.

The Darwin Day Committee will be chaired by Chase Keffeler and will be responsible for planning and executing the Camp Quest activities at the Seattle Atheists Darwin Day celebration in February. Email board@campquestnorthwest.org and we’ll put you in touch with Chase.

The Social Committee will be chaired by Bridget Lombardo and will be responsible for organizing regular social events for CQNW volunteers and staff to stay in touch throughout the year. Email board@campquestnorthwest.org and we’ll put you in touch with Bridget.

The Programming Committee will be chaired by Rebecca Friedman and will be responsible for developing the camp theme, special events, lesson planning, and developing the LT program. Email becky@campquestnorthwest.org to volunteer.

What’s Next?

The next CQNW Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 21st at 6:30 PM at the Burien Round Table Pizza (15730 1st Ave S, Burien, WA). On the agenda are the upcoming board elections and deciding on official names to distinguish our two camp sessions. Paul Mopps, Kayla Ritchie, Bridget Lombardo, Gordon Schryer and Natalie Koonce have been nominated for board positions and will be invited to speak briefly about their qualifications and vision for Camp Quest NorthWest. Elections will follow via email later in the week.

Thanks again for your continued support and efforts towards making the 2015 CQNW session(s) the best yet!